The Regent’s Secret

Wei Che hurriedly pushed the door and saw Zhao Heng struggling on the bed covering his chest. He opened his mouth to call the imperial physician, but Zhao Heng shook his head while gasping for breath.

Wei Che was at a loss. He also had some knowledge of medicine and was too rushed to be careful. He quickly went over and took Zhao Heng’s pulse.

“Your Majesty, how can you have a pulse that indicates a reversal of qi and blood flow?!”

He knew the emperor’s martial arts routine better than anyone else, and it was impossible for him to make a mistake in his training.

“I don’t know,” Zhao Heng gritted his teeth and responded with difficulty, feeling that the attack this time was several times more severe than the one in Pan Palace.

The emperor didn’t want to alarm the imperial physician. He knew better than anyone else how to keep things from leaking out during the late emperor’s illness.

The health of the emperor was related to the stability of the country, and this sudden and severe pain made him cautious and careful.

Wei Che was in agony. Knowing the emperor’s concerns, but not knowing what would happen if the situation deteriorated, he was about to go out to call for help against the emperor’s wishes.

However, Zhao Heng suddenly stopped feeling the pain, but his body was still burning hot due to the imbalance of qi and blood.

“Zi Tong, I’m uncomfortable,” the emperor grabbed Wei Che, his forehead sweating profusely, and his tone pleading.

“Your Majesty, are you not feeling any pain?” Wei Che asked.

“I’m not in pain… just uncomfortable,” Zhao Heng replied, and then unbuttoned his collar.

Wei Che quickly helped him take off his coat and, after thinking about it, decided not to call the imperial physician. If it was just an imbalance of qi and blood, it would be faster for him to use his own energy to help the emperor balance it out.

After taking off his coat in two or three moves, Wei Che helped Zhao Heng take off all but his undergarment. After practicing his martial arts for a few cycles, Wei Che asked softly, “Is Your Majesty feeling better?”

Zhao Heng replied with his eyes closed, “I’m fine.”

Wei Che was about to settle down when Zhao Heng leaned back tiredly and leaned directly on him. Wei Che dared not move anymore.

There was a cold fragrance floating in the room, and it was quiet and silent again.

Afraid that the emperor was not comfortable enough, Wei Che carefully arched his back and let Zhao Heng fall right into the middle of his chest.

After waiting for a while for Zhao Heng to rest enough, Wei Che served the emperor to get dressed again.

There was no one in the room, but it did not mean that there was no one outside. They were fumbling around inside, and occasional groans of the emperor could be heard, along with shadows of undressing and dressing on the window. It was impossible for people not to hear or see unless they were blind or deaf.

But for those who served in front of the emperor, who didn’t have sharp eyes and ears!

From then on, no one dared to treat Wei Che the same way as before.

Zhao Heng did not know the little thoughts that the people below had, as all his thoughts were on this sudden illness.

Everything has a cause. He was originally strong and healthy, and should not have any hidden illnesses. But as soon as he thought of how his father died of a sudden illness, he felt as if he was suffocated by this ominous shadow.

If it was really a difficult illness, he could not avoid seeking medical treatment. However, he was not yet in charge of the country’s affairs. The regent, the Empress dowager, and the princes were all troublesome matters. If he had another illness now…

This night, Zhao Heng thought over and over again countless times. In the end, when the sky was already light, the young man sighed deeply, if it was just a false alarm, how good would it be to not be sick?

Wait, not an illness.

Zhao Heng suddenly sat up with a flash of inspiration.

“Someone, stop today’s classes and tell the teachers that I will be absent.”

At the time when he should have been listening to lectures, Zhao Heng’s imperial desk was already full of notes from his ancestors, especially those that recorded information about bloodlines. He didn’t miss any of the pages, even if they were scraps.

Unfortunately, after flipping through the books late into the night, there were only two useful books, and the rest were just hearsay or descriptions that couldn’t be verified, either copied by later generations or just skimmed over in a sentence or two.

Only the book of Zhao’s ancestors and a detailed account from a later eyewitness were worth reading.

Zhao Heng was pleased that the initial symptoms of blood awakening were very similar to his condition at the onset of the illness. He thought that he himself was very likely a blood awakener, and this significance seemed to be like the heavens decreeing him as the true emperor, causing Zhao Heng to develop infinite ambition.

What worried him was that even if the signs appeared, it was uncertain whether he would actually experience true blood awakening. It could take three to five years, or even decades, to wait for the opportunity.

For example, the ancestor himself had to wait more than ten years for the awakening opportunity, while a female clan member with the same symptoms as him was never able to wait for the opportunity to transform in her lifetime.

What was most deadly was that neither the ancestor nor the witness had ever clearly stated what this opportunity was. Zhao Heng could only assume that there was some hidden reason why they could not reveal it.

At this point, Zhao Heng could not wait any longer. He urgently wanted to know more and to determine whether the changes in his own body were signs of illness or the precursor to blood awakening.

If anyone in the world could answer his question, it could only be the Regent.

The palace gates were about to be locked, so Zhao Heng asked Zhao Yuan to return to the palace from his residence and had the eunuch deliver the message, “His Majesty wishes to talk with His Highness tonight and has prepared a room. Please do not worry about returning to your residence.”

Zhao Yuan was slightly surprised at the news.

When Zhao Heng was still a child, every time he returned triumphantly to Dian Nan, he would always go to his uncle’s residence and listen to him talk about the battles and the destruction of the enemy armies all night, while snuggling up under his blankets. 

Being a young man who admired heroes, and especially his uncle who was also his blood relative, Zhao Heng was allowed by his father to take a few days off from his studies each year to indulge in this brief moment of madness.

Zhao Shen spared no effort to find the best teacher in the world for his Di son. There was no better teacher in matters of warfare and military affairs than Zhao Yuan in the world. If not him, who else could there be?

Since Zhao Yuan often fought outside and rarely returned home, he had to go take care of him.

Zhao Yuan was a little confused. After ascending the throne, Zhao Heng had not been as close to him as before. He wondered why the emperor was looking for him.